De Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre
Saltar a navegación Saltar a búsqueda
Para obtener una lista de las convenciones de nominación presidencial de los Estados Unidos , consulte Lista de convenciones de nominación presidencial en los Estados Unidos .

La Convención Nacional Demócrata de 1876 en el Merchants Exchange Building en St. Louis, Missouri . Samuel J. Tilden y Thomas A. Hendricks fueron nominados para presidente y vicepresidente respectivamente

Una convención de nominación presidencial de los Estados Unidos es una convención política que se celebra cada cuatro años en los Estados Unidos por la mayoría de los partidos políticos que presentarán candidatos en las próximas elecciones presidenciales de los Estados Unidos . El propósito formal de dicha convención es seleccionar al candidato del partido para la elección popular como presidente , así como adoptar una declaración de principios y objetivos del partido conocida como la plataforma del partido y adoptar las reglas para las actividades del partido, incluido el proceso de nominación presidencial. para el próximo ciclo electoral.

Desde 1972, los delegados han sido seleccionados en su mayoría en las primarias presidenciales estado por estado . Esto permite que los nominados se decidan antes de que comience la convención. En la carrera republicana de 1976, a Ronald Reagan le fue bien en las primarias, pero claramente había perdido ante el titular Gerald Ford cuando se inauguró la convención. Otros delegados a estas convenciones incluyen a miembros de partidos políticos que se sientan automáticamente y se les llama " delegados no comprometidos " porque pueden elegir por sí mismos por qué candidato votar.

Generalmente, el uso de "convención de nominación de campaña presidencial" se refiere a los eventos cuatrienales de los dos partidos principales: las Convenciones Nacionales Demócrata y Republicana . Algunos partidos menores también seleccionan a sus candidatos por convención, incluido el Partido Verde , el Partido Socialista de EE . UU. , El Partido Libertario , el Partido de la Constitución y el Partido de la Reforma de EE . UU . La pandemia de COVID-19 de 2020 obligó tanto a las principales como a terceros a cancelar sus convenciones habituales ese año y, en cambio, programar eventos virtuales con una participación mínima, ya que grandes multitudes enérgicas corren el riesgo de propagar el virus.

Logística [ editar ]

Calendarios [ editar ]

El ciclo de la convención comienza con el Llamado a la Convención . Por lo general, emitida con aproximadamente 18 meses de anticipación, la Convocatoria es una invitación del partido nacional a los partidos estatales y territoriales para reunirse para seleccionar un candidato presidencial. También establece el número de delegados que se otorgarán a cada uno, así como las reglas para el proceso de nominación. Las convenciones generalmente están programadas para cuatro días hábiles, con la excepción de las convenciones republicana de 1972 y demócrata de 2012 , que fueron de tres días cada una. (Las convenciones republicanas de 2008 y 2012 también fueron de tres días cada una, pero en cada caso se acortaron de los cuatro días programados debido a problemas climáticos).

No existe un estatuto que dicte el orden de las convenciones, pero desde 1956 el partido al que pertenece el presidente en ejercicio ha celebrado su segunda convención. Entre 1864 y 1952, los demócratas ocuparon el segundo lugar cada año (excepto en 1888). En 1956, cuando el republicano Dwight D. Eisenhower era el titular, los demócratas fueron los primeros y el partido fuera del poder fue el primero desde entonces. (Entre 1936 y 1952, durante las administraciones encabezadas por los presidentes demócratas Franklin D. Roosevelt y Harry S. Truman , los demócratas tuvieron su convención después de los republicanos, pero no está claro si quedaron en segundo lugar porque ocupaban la Casa Blanca o porque casi siempre habían ido en segundo lugar) .Desde 1952, todas las convenciones principales de los partidos se han celebrado en los meses de julio, Agosto o (por primera vez en 2004), principios de septiembre. (Las leyes electorales en algunos estados probablemente evitarían que las convenciones se trasladen a mediados de septiembre). Entre mediados del siglo XX y 2004, las dos principales convenciones del partido se programaron principalmente con un mes de diferencia, a menudo con los Juegos Olímpicos de verano en el medio, por lo que no tuvo que competir por los espectadores. En 1996, ambos se llevaron a cabo en agosto para albergar los Juegos Olímpicos de Atlanta.en julio, los últimos Juegos Olímpicos de Verano hasta la fecha que se jugarán en los Estados Unidos. En 2000, ambas convenciones precedieron a los Juegos Olímpicos de Sydney a finales de septiembre.

En 2008 y 2012, las convenciones demócratas y republicanas se trasladaron a semanas consecutivas después de la conclusión de los Juegos Olímpicos de Beijing y Londres , respectivamente. Una de las razones de estas convenciones tardías tuvo que ver con las leyes de financiamiento de campañas , que permiten a los candidatos gastar una cantidad ilimitada de dinero antes de la convención, pero prohíben la recaudación de fondos después de la convención, para que los partidos reciban fondos de campaña federales. [1] Sin embargo, si Barack ObamaLa decisión de no recibir fondos de la campaña federal para las elecciones generales de 2008 se repite en elecciones futuras, esta razón para la programación tardía de las convenciones ya no será válida. Otra razón de la tardanza de las convenciones se debe al calendario de primarias, que finaliza a principios de junio, y al deseo del partido político de convertir la convención en un mitin político de cuatro días con un guión estricto para su nominado, que casualmente tiene una lista. llamar a votar para presidente. Esto incluye logística, como dónde se sienta cada delegación en el piso de la convención, el orden de los discursos, cómo el nominado quiere presentarse a sí mismo y da tiempo para cualquier negociación con respecto al compañero de fórmula. Finalmente, las partes tampoco quisieron programar sus convenciones en torno a los Juegos Olímpicos.Una de las razones por las que el Partido Demócrata celebró su convención de 2008 después de los Juegos Olímpicos de Beijing de dos semanas fue, según ellos, para "maximizar el impulso de nuestra candidatura demócrata en los últimos meses de las elecciones presidenciales".[2] Sin embargo, moviendo las convenciones más tarde a principios de septiembre condujo a conflictos con la Liga de Fútbol Nacional 's juego de la temporada patada de salida , lo que abre la temporada en el primer jueves de septiembre. Sin embargo, la NFL acomodó las convenciones y trasladó sus juegos a una hora de inicio anterior en 2008, [3] y una fecha anterior en 2012.

En 2016, las convenciones republicana y demócrata se trasladaron a julio, antes de los Juegos Olímpicos de Río de Janeiro en agosto. Una de las razones por las que el Partido Republicano quería una convención en julio era para ayudar a evitar una batalla primaria prolongada similar a lo que sucedió en 2012 que dejó al partido fracturado de cara a las elecciones generales. Luego, los demócratas hicieron lo mismo para poder brindar una respuesta más rápida a los republicanos, en lugar de esperar más de dos semanas hasta que terminen los Juegos Olímpicos. [4]

La Convención Nacional Demócrata de 2020 estaba originalmente programada para realizarse del 13 al 16 de julio [5], pero se pospuso para el 17 al 20 de agosto de 2020 debido a la pandemia de COVID-19 . La Convención Nacional Republicana de 2020 está prevista para el 24 y 27 de agosto. [6] Los Juegos Olímpicos de Tokio , originalmente programados para abrirse el 24 de julio, también se han pospuesto debido a la pandemia, hasta julio de 2021. Esta será la primera vez que las convenciones de nominación no coincidan con los Juegos Olímpicos desde 1944, cuando se celebraron los juegos. cancelado debido a la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

Participación [ editar ]

La Convención Nacional del Partido Verde de 2008 celebrada en Chicago . Varios terceros también tienen sus propios convenios nacionales.

Cada parte establece sus propias reglas para la participación y el formato de la convención. En términos generales, a cada estado y territorio de los Estados Unidos se le asigna un número selecto de representantes votantes, conocidos individualmente como delegados y colectivamente como la delegación . Cada partido utiliza su propia fórmula para determinar el tamaño de cada delegación, teniendo en cuenta consideraciones como la población, la proporción de representantes del Congreso de ese estado o funcionarios del gobierno estatal que son miembros del partido y los patrones de votación del estado en elecciones presidenciales anteriores. La selección de los delegados individuales y sus suplentes también se rige por los estatutos de cada estado parte o, en algunos casos, por la ley estatal.

La Convención Nacional Demócrata de 2004 contó con 4.353 delegados y 611 suplentes. La Convención Nacional Republicana de 2004 contó con 2.509 delegados y 2.344 suplentes. Sin embargo, otros asistentes que no participan en los asuntos formales de la convención eclipsan a estos individuos numéricamente. Estos incluyen activistas y funcionarios del partido no delegados, invitados y acompañantes invitados y observadores internacionales, sin mencionar a numerosos miembros de los medios de comunicación , voluntarios, manifestantes y empresarios y promotores locales que esperan capitalizar el evento cuatrienal.

Ciudad anfitriona [ editar ]

The Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans was the site of the 1988 Republican National Convention, which nominated George H.W. Bush and Dan Quayle for president and vice president. In recent decades, the two major parties have held their conventions at sports stadiums and arenas.

The convention is typically held in a major city selected by the national party organization 18–24 months before the election is to be held. As the two major conventions have grown into large, publicized affairs with significant economic impact, cities today compete vigorously to be awarded host responsibilities, citing their meeting venues, lodging facilities, and entertainment as well as offering economic incentives.

The location of early conventions was dictated by the difficulty of transporting delegates from far-flung parts of the country; early Democratic and Whig Conventions were frequently held in the central Eastern Seaboard port of Baltimore, Maryland. As the U.S. expanded westward and railroads connected cities, Midwestern locations such as Chicago, Illinois—which since 1860 has held 25 Republican and Democratic Conventions combined, more than any other city—became the favored hosts. In present times, political symbolism affects the selection of the host city as much as economic or logistical considerations do. A particular city might be selected to enhance the standing of a favorite son, or in an effort to curry favor with residents of that state. For example, in 2011, Obama campaign manager Jim Messina noted: "We put the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina in part because we believe so deeply in" a "New South map."[7] Likewise, New York City was selected as the host of the 2004 Republican National Convention to evoke memories of George W. Bush's leadership during the September 11 attacks.

The conventions have historically been held inside convention centers, but in recent decades the two major parties have favored sports arenas and stadiums to accommodate the increasing capacity, the former because indoor arenas are usually off-season outside of WNBA sites, allowing plenty of time for preparation (the major political parties have avoided baseball stadiums ever since the 1992 Republican National Convention at the Houston Astrodome forced the Houston Astros to play 26 consecutive road games). Bids for the 2008 Republican National Convention, for example, were required to have a facility with a seating capacity of at least 20,500 people, including a convention floor of about 5,500 delegates and alternates;[8] the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota was eventually selected. Meanwhile, approximately 84,000 people attended the last day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention at Denver's Invesco Field at Mile High.[9] The last day of the 2012 Democratic Convention was originally also scheduled for an outdoor football stadium, but was moved indoors due to weather concerns.

Delegate selection process[edit]

Main article: United States presidential primary § Delegate selection rules

Every year of a presidential election, the United States' political parties have national conventions that result in presidential candidates. However, selected delegates from each state choose candidates rather than members of the public.

Including delegates in the nomination process began after the Presidential election year of 1968, when there was widespread dissatisfaction of the presidential nominating process.[10] Minor-party movements also threatened the chances of Democratic and Republican candidates to win majorities of the electoral votes, which resulted in the reformation of the presidential election process.[11]

Democratic selection process[edit]

Main article: Democratic National Convention § Delegations

Each party and state has its own process to selecting delegates.

Generally speaking, delegates of both major parties usually pledge their votes to a specific candidate, and those who are associated with the Democratic Party and are unpledged are considered super delegates. These super delegates may include governors who identify with the party, members of the U.S. Congress, as well as members of the Democratic National Committee.[12] Super Delegates aren't pledged to a particular candidate, and can vote for who they please.[12] Any registered Democrat may run to be a delegate, and wins are based on congressional votes.[12] Once Democrats choose their delegates, they distribute delegates to each candidate evenly, according to the number of congressional district votes they get (must be at least 15%).[12]

Republican selection process[edit]

Main article: Republican National Convention § Delegations

Rule 14 of the Republican Party's national rules determines the size of delegates for each state, territory, or political subdivision. Delegate selection for the Republican Party must take between March 1 and the second Saturday in June in the year that the convention is held (except for Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada, which are exempt from the rule and may hold earlier selection processes).[13] The Republican Party uses a "Proportional Allocation" rule, which states that delegates should be based on the statewide votes or the number of congressional district votes in proportion to the number of votes received by each candidate.[13] Also, each state must advocate to have an equal number of men and women in its delegation.[13]

Delegates and alternate delegates for the Republican National Convention may be selected or bound by only one of the following:[13]

  • Primary election
  • Republican State Committee
  • State and Congressional district conventions
  • Any method that stays consistent with the rules by which they were selected

Favorite son, Dark horse, Bolter[edit]

A powerful state politician, typically the governor or senator, can set up as a "favorite son".[14] The state delegates are pledged to vote for him at least for the first round. Today the role is honorific, but before 1972 control of a delegation gave bargaining power regarding the platform or the nomination.[15] The technique was widely used in the 19th and early 20th centuries.[16] Since nationwide campaigns by candidates and binding primary elections have replaced brokered conventions, the technique has fallen out of use,[17][18] as party rule changes in the early 1970s required candidates to have nominations from more than one state.[19]

In 1860 Senator Robert M. T. Hunter was Virginia's favorite at the Democratic Party convention. He offered a proslavery voice of moderation amidst the strident rhetoric of secession.[20] In 1952 California Governor Earl Warren was the favorite son at the Republican convention, but he was challenged by Senator Richard Nixon. Nixon leveraged his way into becoming Eisenhower's choice for the vice presidential nomination.[21]

Dark horse[edit]

The term "dark horse candidate" was used at the 1844 Democratic National Convention, at which little-known Tennessee politician James K. Polk emerged as the candidate after the failure of the leading candidates to secure the necessary two-thirds majority.[22][23]Other successful dark horse candidates include:

  • Franklin Pierce, the Democratic nominee, elected in 1852.
  • Rutherford B. Hayes, elected in 1876.
  • James A. Garfield, elected in 1880.[24]
  • Warren G. Harding, elected president in 1920 after his surprise Republican nomination.
  • Wendell Wilkie, a businessman who came out of nowhere to win the Republican nomination in 1940. He lost to President Franklin Roosevelt.
  • Donald Trump, a real estate investor and reality television personality, defeated 15 established rivals for the Republican nomination before defeating Hillary Clinton in the general election. Trump had never held any political office prior to his presidency.

Bolter[edit]

Delegates to the convention are expected to support whichever candidate wins the nomination. A delegate who refuses to do that walks out—bolts—in public fashion.[25][26] At the intensely fought 1896 Republican convention, the decisive battle was on support for gold or silver. When gold forces won by tally of 812 to 110, 25 of the 110 bolted while the others supported the party nominee. The next day the bolters formed a new political party, dubbed the Silver Republican Party. It had a strong base of support in the silver-mining Mountain states. The Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan appealed to the bolters by accepting the Silver Republican nomination; he also accepted the People's party nomination, so he ran on three tickets.[27]

Conservative Democrats from the South bolted the 1948 Democratic Convention to form the States' Rights Party under the banner of Strom Thurmond when Mayor Hubert Humphrey successfully added a civil rights plank to the Democratic platform.

The most notorious instance of bolting was in 1912, when having lost a credentials fight, the supporters of former President Theodore Roosevelt, formed the so-called Bull Moose party, splitting the GOP down the middle and coming in second, something that would never happen again.

Proceedings[edit]

Roll call of states during the 2008 Democratic National Convention at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.
The floor of the 2008 Republican National Convention at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

During the day, party activists hold meetings and rallies, and work on the platform. Voting and important convention-wide addresses usually take place in the evening hours.

In recent conventions, routine business such as examining the credentials of delegations, ratifying rules and procedures, election of convention officers, and adoption of the platform usually take up the business of the first two days of the convention. Balloting was usually held on the third day, with the nomination and acceptance made on the last day, but even some of these traditions have fallen away in 21st-century conventions. The only constant is that the convention ends with the nominee's acceptance speech.

Platform[edit]

Each convention produces a statement of principles known as its platform, containing goals and proposals known as planks. Relatively little of a party platform is even proposed as public policy. Much of the language is generic, while other sections are narrowly written to appeal to factions or interest groups within the party. Unlike electoral manifestos in many European countries, the platform is not binding on either the party or the candidate.

Because it is ideological rather than pragmatic, however, the platform is sometimes itself politicized. For example, defenders of abortion rights lobbied heavily to remove the Human Life Amendment plank from the 1996 Republican National Convention platform, a move fiercely resisted by conservatives despite the fact that no such amendment had ever come up for debate.

Voting[edit]

Since the 1970s, voting has for the most part been perfunctory; the selection of the major parties' nominees have rarely been in doubt, so a single ballot has always been sufficient. Each delegation announces its vote tallies, usually accompanied with some boosterism of their state or territory. The delegation may pass, nominally to retally their delegates' preferences, but often to allow a different delegation to give the leading candidate the honor of casting the majority-making vote.

Before the presidential nomination season actually begins, there is often speculation about whether a single front runner would emerge. If there is no single candidate receiving a majority of delegates at the end of the primary season, a scenario called a brokered convention would result, where a candidate would be selected either at or near the convention, through political horse-trading and lesser candidates compelling their delegates to vote for one of the front runners. The best example was the 1924 Democratic Convention, which took 103 ballots. The situation is more likely to occur in the Democratic Party, because of its proportional representation system,[28] but such a scenario has been the subject of speculation with regard to most contested nominations of both parties without actually coming to pass in recent years.[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] It is a common scenario in fiction, most recently in an episode of The West Wing. The closest to a brokered convention in recent years was at the 1976 Republican National Convention, when neither Gerald Ford nor Ronald Reagan received enough votes in the primary to lock up the nomination.[37] Since then, candidates have received enough momentum to reach a majority through pledged and bound delegates before the date of the convention.

More recently, a customary practice has been for the losing candidates in the primary season to release their delegates and exhort them to vote for the winning nominee as a sign of party unity. Thus, the vote tallied on the floor is unanimous or nearly so. Some delegates may nevertheless choose to vote for their candidate. And in 2008 both happened: Hillary Clinton received over 1,000 votes before she herself moved to nominate Barack Obama by acclamation, officially making it a unanimous vote.

The voting method at the conventions is a "roll call of the states", which include territories such as Washington D.C., American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and a catch-all "delegates abroad" category. The states are called in alphabetical order (beginning with Alabama and ending with Wyoming). The state's spokesperson (who generally begins his or her speech with glowing comments about the state's history, geography, and notable party elected officials) can either choose to announce its delegate count or pass. Once all states have either declared or passed, those states which passed are called upon again to announce their delegate count. (Generally, a decision is made beforehand that some states will pass in the first round, in order to allow a particular state—generally either the presidential or vice-presidential nominee's home state—to be the one whose delegate count pushes the candidate "over the top", thus securing the nomination.)

Vice-presidential voting has been problematic since the beginning: at the 1972 Democratic National Convention, the vote was scattered between 50 "candidates" and at the 1976 Republican National Convention, the vote was also scattered widely. In 1988, both parties decided to have their designated candidates nominated by "suspending the rules" and declaring them nominated by "acclamation"; the most recent vice-presidential roll call vote was at the 1984 Republican National Convention.

If, after the first round of voting, there is no candidate with a majority of votes, subsequent roll calls are held. In between, candidates can make "backroom deals", swapping delegates in exchange for positions in the administration or other favors, or candidates can release their delegates to vote for whoever they personally prefer. Roll calls continue until one candidate has a majority: the 1924 Democratic National Convention holds the record as the longest ever, as divisions within the party concerning Prohibition led to 102 ballots between Alfred E. Smith and William G. McAdoo, before the relatively unknown John W. Davis was chosen as a compromise candidate on the 103rd ballot.

Speeches[edit]

First Lady Pat Nixon speaking at the 1972 Republican National Convention. She was the first Republican First Lady to do what is now considered common practice.
Michelle Obama speaking at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Minor figures in the party are given the opportunity to address the floor of the convention during the daytime, when only the small audiences of C-SPAN and other cable television outlets are watching. The evening's speeches—designed for broadcast to a large national audience—are reserved for major speeches by notable, respected public figures; the speakers at the 2004 Democratic Convention included Ted Kennedy, a forty-two-year veteran of the United States Senate, and Jimmy Carter, a former Democratic President, while speakers at the Republican Convention included Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Governor George Pataki of New York, two of the largest states in the nation.

The organizers of the convention may designate one of these speeches as the keynote address, one which above all others is stated to underscore the convention's themes or political goals. For instance, the 1992 Democratic National Convention keynote address was delivered by Georgia Governor Zell Miller, whose stories of an impoverished childhood echoed the economic themes of the nominee, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton. The 1996 Republican National Convention was keynoted by U.S. Representative Susan Molinari of New York, intended to reassure political moderates about the centrism of the nominee, former Senator Bob Dole. And the 2004 Democratic National Convention featured Senator Barack Obama, whose speech brought the future President national recognition for the first time.

Uniquely, Miller, by then a Senator, would also be the keynote speaker at the 2004 Republican Convention, despite still maintaining his Democratic registration.

The final day of the convention usually features the formal acceptance speeches from the nominees for president and vice president. Despite recent controversy maintaining that recent conventions were scripted from beginning to end, and that very little news (if any) comes out of the convention, the acceptance speech has always been televised by the networks, because it receives the highest ratings of the convention. In addition, the halls of the convention are packed at this time, with many party loyalists sneaking in. Afterwards, balloons are usually dropped and the delegates celebrate the nomination.

History[edit]

Barack Obama and Joe Biden appear together at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Primary foes Ronald Reagan (left) and Gerald Ford (right) shake hands during the 1976 Republican National Convention, the last major party convention whose outcome was in doubt.

First conventions[edit]

Further information: First Party System

The Federalist Party invented the first national conventions in 1808 and 1812 when they held secret national meetings to pick their candidates. The Democratic-Republican Party never used conventions. Instead its members of Congress met in a party caucuses to select the nominee. Regional conflicts erupted in the hotly contested 1824 election, in which factions of the Democratic-Republican Party rejected the caucus nominee, William H. Crawford of Georgia, and backed John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts, Henry Clay of Kentucky, and Andrew Jackson of Tennessee (all of whom carried more states than Crawford in the election) instead.[38]

Second Party System[edit]

Further information: Second Party System

In 1831 the Anti-Masonic Party convened in Baltimore, Maryland to select a single presidential candidate agreeable to the whole party leadership in the 1832 presidential election. The National Republican and Democratic Parties soon followed suit.[39]

1860 conventions[edit]

In Chicago, Abraham Lincoln was nominated by the Republicans.[40] The Democratic Party convention nominated Stephen A. Douglas: however, after Southern delegates walked out of or boycotted the convention, they held their own convention and nominated John C. Breckenridge.[41]

Third Party System[edit]

Further information: Third Party System

Chicago with its central location was the favorite convention city. In addition St. Louis, Missouri, hosted Democratic national nominating conventions in 1876, 1888, 1904, and 1916, as well as the national Republican convention of 1896 and a national Populist convention in the same year. The city had easy railroad access, numerous elegant hotels and expansive meeting facilities. Democrats wanted to meet close to their base in the "Solid South."[42]

1872 Democrats[edit]

The Democrats held a very short 1872 Democratic National Convention which endorsed the nominee of the 1872 Liberal Republican convention. The Liberal Republicans were bitterly opposed to incumbent Republican Ulysses S. Grant, and bolted to form their own party. They nominated Horace Greeley, who lost to Grant in a landslide, and the new party soon collapsed.[43]

1884 Republican[edit]

In the run-up to the 1884 GOP convention, reformers called "Mugwumps" organized their forces in the swing states, especially New York and Massachusetts. They failed to block James G. Blaine, and many bolted to the Democrats, who had nominated reformer Grover Cleveland. Young Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge, leading reformers, refused to bolt—an action that preserved their leadership role in the GOP.[44]

1896 conventions[edit]

Fourth Party System[edit]

Further information: Fourth Party System

Conventions were often heated affairs, playing a vital role in deciding each party's nominee. The process remained far from democratic or transparent, however. The party convention was a scene of intrigue among political bosses, who appointed and otherwise controlled nearly all of the delegates.

1912 conventions[edit]

Main article: 1912 Republican National Convention

Entering the convention, the forces of President Taft and ex-president Roosevelt seemed evenly matched.[45] Taft had better planning, better organizers, and more top convention officials.[46] The camps engaged in a fight for the delegations, with Taft emerging victorious, and Roosevelt claiming that several delegations were fraudulently seated because of the machinations of conservative party leaders including William Barnes Jr. and Boies Penrose.[47] Following the seating of the anti-Roosevelt delegations, California Governor Hiram Johnson proclaimed that progressives would form a new party to nominate Roosevelt.[47] Though many of Roosevelt's delegates remained at the convention, most refused to take part in the presidential ballot in protest of the contested delegates.[48] Roosevelt ultimately ran a third party campaign as part of the Progressive Party (nicknamed the "Bull Moose Party"). Taft and Roosevelt both lost the 1912 election to the Democratic nominee, Woodrow Wilson.

1924 Democrats[edit]

Main article: 1924 Democratic National Convention

The party was deeply factionalized along regional and cultural lines, with two powerful factions, led by William McAdoo leaving the rural/Protestant/Southern faction, and New York Governor Al Smith representing the urban/Catholic/machine element.[49] The second Ku Klux Klan was flourishing nationwide, although no nationally prominent Democrat acknowledged membership, and he factions battled over resolution to condemn the KKK. No compromises seemed possible as the convention dragged on for 17 days, with the balloting for presidential candidate being deadlocked for 103 ballots until dark horse John W. Davis, a neutral figure, was nominated.

Naming the younger brother of William Jennings Bryan as running mate was a sop to the rural faction.[50][51] Oklahoma was a representative border state, with the delegation deeply divided on the KKK issue.[52]

Fifth Party System[edit]

Further information: Fifth Party System

1952 Republicans[edit]

1968 Democrats[edit]

The Vietnam War energized a large number of supporters of anti-war Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota, but they had no say in the matter. Vice President Hubert Humphrey—associated with the increasingly unpopular administration of Lyndon B. Johnson—did not compete in a single primary, yet controlled enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination. This proved one of several factors behind rioting which broke out at the Democratic convention in Chicago.[53][54]

Switch to primary system[edit]

A few, mostly western, states adopted primary elections in the late 19th century and during the Progressive Era, but the catalyst for their widespread adoption came during the election of 1968. Media images of the event—angry mobs facing down police—damaged the image of the Democratic Party, which appointed a commission headed by South Dakota Senator George McGovern to select a new, less controversial method of choosing nominees. The McGovern–Fraser Commission settled on the primary election, adopted by the Democratic National Committee in 1968. The Republicans adopted the primary as their preferred method in 1972.[55] Henceforth, candidates would be given convention delegates based on their performance in primaries, and these delegates were bound to vote for their candidate. As a result, the major party presidential nominating convention has lost almost all of its old drama. The last attempt to release delegates from their candidates came at the 1980 Democratic National Convention, when Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts sought votes of delegates held by incumbent President Jimmy Carter. The last major party convention whose outcome was in doubt was the 1976 Republican National Convention, when former California Governor Ronald Reagan nearly won the nomination away from the incumbent president, Gerald Ford.[56]

Television coverage[edit]

While rank and file members had no input in early nominations, they were still drawn by the aura of mystery surrounding the convention, and networks began to broadcast speeches and debates to the general public. NBC affiliate W2XBS in New York City made the first telecast of a national party convention, of the 1940 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, and the other two of the Big Three television networks soon followed. NBC News anchorman John Chancellor said just before the start of the 1972 Democratic National Convention, "Convention coverage is the most important thing we do. The conventions are not just political theater, but really serious stuff, and that's why all the networks have an obligation to give gavel-to-gavel coverage. It's a time when we all ought to be doing our duty."[57]

The presence of journalists at presidential nominating conventions have increased with the television networks. In 1976, the Democratic Convention consisted of 3,381 delegates and 11,500 reporters, broadcasters, editors and camera operators.[58] This is on par with the increase in the number of televisions in American homes. In 1960, 87 percent of people had a television; by 1976, 98 percent did.[59] By the 1992 conventions, network coverage increased from three networks (NBC, ABC and CBS) to five networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox and PBS).[60] At the 1996 Republican National Convention there were approximately seven journalists per one delegate, or about 15,000 journalists.[58]

The increase of the media at these conventions originally led to a growth in the public's interest in elections. Voter turnout in the primaries increased from fewer than five million voters in 1948 to around thirteen million in 1952.[61] By broadcasting the conventions on the television, people were more connected to the suspense and the decisions being made, therefore making them more politically aware, and more educated voters. When scholars studied the 1976 conventions they determined that by watching nomination conventions, even viewers that were not previously very politically active developed a much stronger interest in the election process and the candidate.[62]

News anchor Ted Koppel (pictured in 2002), who midway through the 1996 Republican National Convention told viewers that he was going home because it has become "more of an infomercial than a news event."[63]

With the rise of the direct primary, and in particular with states moving earlier and earlier in the primary calendar since the 1988 election, the nominee has often secured a commanding majority of delegates far in advance of the convention. As such, the convention has become little more than a coronation, a carefully staged campaign event designed to draw public attention and favor to the nominee, with particular attention to television coverage. For instance, speeches by noted and popular party figures are scheduled for the coveted primetime hours, when most people would be watching.[64]

The changing nature of the conventions, as well as overall changes in television viewing habits, have changed how broadcasters cover the conventions. Midway through the 1996 Republican National Convention, Ted Koppel of ABC's Nightline concluded the program with an announcement that he would end his broadcasts from San Diego for the convention, nor broadcast coverage from the Democratic convention in Chicago, citing that the events had effectively become an "infomercial" for the party's nominee rather than a news event. Republican National Committee chairman Haley Barbour was also critical of how the networks covered the convention: in response to the diminishing coverage, the party purchased time-brokered blocks on the cable network The Family Channel to broadcast live coverage of the convention under the branding "GOP-TV."[63][65]

Bespoke coverage of the conventions on television is now typically relegated to cable news channels and C-SPAN. PBS continues to provide full primetime coverage of the conventions, although it breaks away from minor speakers and mundane business for analysis and discussion.[66] In 2012, the major networks aired only one hour of primetime coverage per night, while NBC forwent coverage on the second night (Wednesday) of the 2012 Democratic National Convention in order to air the NFL Kickoff Game—which the NFL had moved from Thursday to minimize conflict with the convention—and to make up for the lack of coverage on Wednesday, NBC aired two hours on Thursday. There was also a noted increase in coverage via live streaming on digital platforms.[67][68]

2020 national conventions[edit]

Main articles: 2020 Democratic National Convention, 2020 Republican National Convention, 2020 Libertarian National Convention, 2020 Green National Convention, and Constitution Party National Convention § 2020 Convention

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 forced both major and third parties to cancel the usual conventions since large energetic crowds were simply too dangerous medically. Instead they scheduled virtual affairs with minimal participation, and speeches were delivered to electronic audiences. Political historian Michael Barone argued in a July 24, 2020, op-ed that they are no longer needed or useful. He welcomes their replacement by virtual conventions. They were useful before the advent of television in 1952, he says, but:

National conventions no longer serve their original purpose, or the uses the parties and the press have made of them in the past half-century. The national conventions were, for their first 130 years, a unique communications medium. They were the only place and time where party politicians could communicate frankly and bargain personally. They were the only place where people could discover which candidates had genuine support and which just gave lip service.[69]

See also[edit]

  • List of Democratic National Conventions
  • List of Republican National Conventions
  • List of Whig National Conventions
  • Libertarian National Convention
  • Green National Convention
  • Constitution Party National Convention
  • National conventions of the Communist Party USA

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Presidential Campaign Finance". Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action.
  2. ^ "Week In Review: National Organizing Kickoff a Great Success". democrats.org. November 2005. Archived from the original on March 10, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2007.
  3. ^ "NFL season opener yields to McCain speech". Reuters. March 26, 2008.
  4. ^ Jaffe, Alexandra (January 23, 2015). "Democratic National Convention date set". CNN.com. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  5. ^ "Exclusive: Democrats, anticipating heated primary, set earlier 2020 convention date". CNN. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  6. ^ "2020 Republican National Convention dates announced". WCNC.com. October 1, 2018.
  7. ^ Evan McMorris-Santoro (November 29, 2011). "Team Obama Likes Its Chances: AZ, VA, NC Could Go Democrat In 2012 (VIDEO)". Talking Points Memo. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  8. ^ Dena Bunis. "News: Anaheim asked to make bid for Republican convention - OCRegister.com". Ocregister.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  9. ^ Lloyd, Robert (August 29, 2008). "Barack Obama, Al Gore raise the roof at Invesco Field". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 31, 2009.
  10. ^ "Raucous '68 Convention Led to Changes in Nomination Process". newswise.com. July 15, 2008.
  11. ^ "Constitutional Safeguards in the Selection of Delegates to Presidential Nominating Conventions". The Yale Law Journal. 78 (7): 1228–1252. 1969. doi:10.2307/795003. JSTOR 795003.
  12. ^ a b c d "Who gets to be a Delegate at the Presidential Nominating Conventions?".
  13. ^ a b c d https://prod-cdn-static.gop.com/media/documents/2016-Republican-Rules-Reformatted2018_1533138132.pdf
  14. ^ Hans Sperber and Travis Trittschuh, Dictionary of American political terms (Wayne State UP, 1962) pp 147–148.
  15. ^ "How 'Favorite Son' Politics Works". The Pittsburgh Press. January 12, 1928 – via Google News Archive Search.
  16. ^ "How Term 'Favorite Son' Got Started in Politics". The Free Lance-Star. January 30, 1960 – via Google News Archive Search.
  17. ^ "No Demo Favorite Sons". The Deseret News. September 20, 1971 – via Google News Archive Search.
  18. ^ Shafer, Byron E. (1988). Bifurcated Politics: Evolution and Reform in the National Party Convention. Harvard University Press. p. 71. ISBN 9780674072565. Favorite son politics.
  19. ^ Tarr, Dave; Benenson, Bob (October 22, 2013). Elections A to Z. CQ Press. ISBN 9781506331508 – via Google Books.
  20. ^ R. Randall Moore, "Robert MT Hunter and the Crisis of the Union, 1860-1861." Southern Historian 13 (1992): 25-35.
  21. ^ Irwin F. Gellman, The Contender: Richard Nixon, the Congress Years, 1946-1952 (2017) pp. 403, 433, 438, 442.
  22. ^ William Safire, Safire's political dictionary (Oxford UP, 2008) pp 166–167.
  23. ^ Sperber and Trittschuh, Dictionary of American political terms (1962) pp 112–113.
  24. ^ Kenneth D. Ackerman, Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield (2003) online.
  25. ^ Safire, Safire's political dictionary (2008) p 69.
  26. ^ Sperber and Trittschuh, Dictionary of American political terms (1962) p 52.
  27. ^ Arthur M, Schlesinger, Jr., ed. Critical presidential elections in American history (1972) pp. 241-44, 250.
  28. ^ Robert Moran on Election 2004 on National Review Online
  29. ^ Frum, David (February 20, 2012). "GOP's worst nightmare -- a contested convention". CNN.com. Retrieved June 30, 2015. (2012 Republicans)
  30. ^ Garber, Kent (February 8, 2008). "Obama, Clinton Head Toward Contested Convention". USNews.com. Retrieved June 30, 2015. (2008 Democrats)
  31. ^ Blankley, Tony (December 19, 2007). "None of the Above: GOP Heading to a Brokered Convention". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved June 30, 2005. (2008 Republicans)
  32. ^ Orin, Deborah (January 22, 2004). "Dems May Be In for Brokered Convention". New York Post. Retrieved June 30, 2015. (2004 Democrats)
  33. ^ Rusher, William (March 1, 1996). "A fun idea: Brokered convention". Rome News-Tribune. p. 4. Retrieved June 30, 2015. (1996 Republicans)
  34. ^ Wicker, Tom (September 3, 1991). "Snakeskins and Democrats". Lakeland Ledger. p. 7A. Retrieved June 30, 2015. (1992 Democrats)
  35. ^ "Democrats worrying about a brokered convention". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Wash. Associated Press. March 17, 1988. p. A6. Retrieved June 30, 2015. (1988 Democrats)
  36. ^ Greenfield, Jeff (May 18, 1984). "Brokered convention: Is it possible?". The Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 16. Part 1. Retrieved June 30, 2015. (1984 Democrats)
  37. ^ "REPUBLICANS: Ford Is Close, but Watch Those Trojan Horses". Time. August 2, 1976. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  38. ^ Kolodny, Robin. "The Several Elections of 1824." Congress & the Presidency: A Journal of Capital Studies 23#2 (1996) online.
  39. ^ Michael Kazin et al. eds. The Concise Princeton Encyclopedia of American Political History (2011) pp 155–62, 310–314.
  40. ^ Kenneth M. Stampp, The Imperiled Union: Essays on the Background of the Civil War (1858) pp 136–62.
  41. ^ Douglas R. Egerton, Year of Meteors: Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and the Election that Brought on the Civil War (2010) excerpt
  42. ^ Gary N. Smith, "St. Louis Hosts the Political Conventions," Gateway Heritage: The Magazine of the Missouri Historical Society (Spring 1981) 1#4 pp 10-17.
  43. ^ Matthew T. Downey, "Horace Greeley and the Politicians: The Liberal Republican Convention in 1872." Journal of American History 53.4 (1967): 727-750 online.
  44. ^ Edward Kohn, "Crossing the Rubicon: Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, and the 1884 Republican National Convention." Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 5.1 (2006): 19-45 online
  45. ^ "Taft Victory in the First Clash; Root Chosen Chairman, 558 to 502". The New York Times. June 19, 1912.
  46. ^ Thomas E. Felt, "Organizing A National Convention: A Lesson From Senator Dick." Ohio Historical Quarterly (1958) 87#1 pp 50-62.
  47. ^ a b "Roosevelt, Beaten, to Bolt Today; Gives the Word in Early Morning; Taft's Nomination Seems Assured". The New York Times. June 20, 1912. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  48. ^ "Taft Renominated by the Republican Convention; Roosevelt Named as Candidate by Bolters". The New York Times. June 23, 1912.
  49. ^ James C. Prude, "William Gibbs McAdoo and the Democratic National Convention of 1924." Journal of Southern History 38.4 (1972): 621-628 online.
  50. ^ David B. Burner, "The Democratic Party in the Election of 1924." Mid-America 46 (1964): 92-113.
  51. ^ Robert K. Murray, The 103rd Ballot: Democrats and the Disaster in Madison Square Garden (1976).
  52. ^ William D. Pennington, "The Oklahoma Delegation to the Democratic Convention of 1924." Chronicles of Oklahoma (Dec 1984) 52#4 pp 408-419.
  53. ^ Michael A. Cohen, American Maelstrom: The 1968 Election and the Politics of Division (Oxford UP, 2016) pp. 261–286.
  54. ^ Jules Witcover, Party of the People: A History of the Democrats (2003)
  55. ^ Judith A. Center, "1972 Democratic Convention Reforms and Party Democracy," Political Science Quarterly 89#2 (1974): 325-350 online
  56. ^ Michael Kazin et al. eds. The Concise Princeton Encyclopedia of American Political History (2011) pp 152–55, 310–314.
  57. ^ Paletz & Elson (1976). "Television Coverage of Presidential Conventions: Now You See It, Now You Don't". Political Science Quarterly. 91 (1): 109–131. doi:10.2307/2149161. JSTOR 2149161.
  58. ^ a b Trent & Friedenberg (2004). Political Campaign Communication Principles & Practices. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
  59. ^ Kraus, Sidney (1979). The Great Debates. Indiana University Press.
  60. ^ Trent & Friedenberg (2004). Political Campaign Communication Principles and Practices. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
  61. ^ Valley, David (1974). "Significant Characteristics of Democratic Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speeches". Central States Speech Journal. 25: 56–62. doi:10.1080/10510977409367769.
  62. ^ Kraus, Sidney (1979). The Great Debate. Indiana University Press.
  63. ^ a b Bennet, James (August 15, 1996). "'Nightline' Pulls the Plug on Convention Coverage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  64. ^ Peters, Jeremy W. (August 20, 2012). "Romney Campaign Works Feverishly to Project Relaxed Image". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  65. ^ Johnson, Steve. "Some Media Chafe Under Choreography of 'News'". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  66. ^ "Political conventions lose drama, TV audience". July 25, 2004.
  67. ^ Hagey, Keach (August 20, 2012). "Online Media Will Star at the Conventions". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  68. ^ Mirkinson, Jack (August 20, 2012). "Networks Reducing Convention Coverage Yet Again". HuffPost. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  69. ^ Barone, Michael (July 24, 2020). "Goodbye, After Nearly Two Centuries, to the National Conventions". Rasmussen Reports.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Arterton, F. Christopher. Media politics: The news strategies of presidential campaigns (Free Press, 1984).
  • Becker, Carl. "The Unit Rule in National Nominating Conventions." American Historical Review 5.1 (1899): 64–82. online
  • Binkley, Wilfred E. American political parties: their natural history (1962) online
  • Carleton, William G. "The revolution in the presidential nominating convention." 'Political Science Quarterly 72.2 (1957): 224-240. online
  • Chase, James S. Emergence of the Presidential Nominating Convention, 1789–1832 (Houghton Mifflin: 1973).
  • Chester, Edward W A guide to political platforms (1977) pp 127–135 online
  • Congressional Research Service. Presidential Elections in the United States: A Primer. (Washington, Congressional Research Service, 2000).
  • Costain, Anne N. "An analysis of voting in american national nominating conventions, 1940-1976." American Politics Quarterly 6.1 (1978): 95-120.
  • Cowan, Geoffrey. Let the People Rule: Theodore Roosevelt and the Birth of the Presidential Primary (WW Norton & Company, 2016).
  • Davis, James W. National conventions in an age of party reform (Greenwood, 1983).
  • Eaton, Herbert. Presidential timber: A history of nominating conventions, 1868-1960 (1964) online.
  • Key, Jr., V.O. Politics, Parties, and Pressure Groups (4th ed. 1958) pp 414–470. online
  • Miles, Edwin A. "The keynote speech at national nominating conventions." Quarterly journal of Speech 46.1 (1960): 26-31.
  • Morison, Samuel E. "The First National Nominating Convention, 1808." American Historical Review 17.4 (1912): 744-763. on 1808 Federalists online
  • Murdock, John S. "The First National Nominating Convention." American Historical Review 1.4 (1896): 680-683. online on 1812 Federalists
  • Nichols, Roy F. "It Happens Every Four Years," American Heritage (June 1956) 7#4 pp 20-33.
  • Pfau, Michael William. "Conventions of Deliberation? Convention Addresses and Deliberative Containment in the Second Party System' Rhetoric and Public Affairs 9#4 (2006), pp. 635-654 online
  • Republican National Convention 2004: Convention History
  • Sautter, R. Craig, and Edward M. Burke. Inside the Wigwam: Chicago Presidential Conventions, 1860-1996 (Loyola Press, 1996).
  • Silver, Adam. "Consensus and Conflict: A Content Analysis of American Party Platforms, 1840–1896." Social Science History 42.3 (2018): 441-467 online.

Primary sources[edit]

  • Chester, Edward W A guide to political platforms (1977) online
  • Porter, Kirk H. and Donald Bruce Johnson, eds. National party platforms, 1840-1964 (1965) online 1840-1956

External links[edit]

  • NewsHour: Interview with Historian Michael Beschloss on the origins of the convention process
  • History House: Conventional Wisdom
  • National Party Conventions eGuide, The Campaign Finance Institute, [1]
  • Corpus of Political Speeches Free access to political speeches by American and other politicians, developed by Hong Kong Baptist University Library